Two's Company
by lalalalalaaa
Summary: Quinn is stranded at school when her car breaks down and Artie is the one to help her out. From there on they go through their struggles together. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Just so no one gets confused, I assumed that Quinn left Finn's place and is now staying at Puck's.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anything from Glee.

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"Damn it!" cried Quinn in frustration. It was after glee rehearsal on a Thursday evening and Quinn had gotten in her car, ready to head over to Puck's and turn in early for the day, but the red convertible chose not to start. She tried several times more, beginning to feel desperate, but it just refused to purr to life.

She hit her hand against the steering wheel hard, but retracted it quickly, waving it up and down frantically, trying to ease the pain. _This is my stupid fault_, she thought bitterly. _If I didn't go to the bathroom for probably the fiftieth time today, I might have caught up with someone and gotten a ride. _

But even as she thought that, she didn't know who to she could have gotten a ride from. Normally, Puck would give her a ride to and from school, but today he had his fight club so she ended up driving to school herself. And lately Puck has been her only friend, so it would have been awkward to have asked anyone else for a ride.

Before unconsciously causing more damage to herself, she got out of the car and leaned against it, tightening her coat around herself. She took out her phone and went through her contact list, deciding who might be less awkward to call. Before debating whether or not to call Puck anyway, she heard some shuffles and shouts coming from behind a wall of the school. Curious, Quinn snapped her phone shut and walked towards the noise. When she came in sight of all the commotion, she tried hard not to break into laughter.

There was Artie, yelling profanities and threats Quinn had no clue he had in him. His arms were shoving against his wheels while flailing in exasperation every few seconds. Inspecting more closely, Quinn noticed that one side of his wheelchair was stuck in a small ditch at the side of the pavement. Shaking her head, a small smile escaping from her, she began walking closer towards him, tilting her head.

"Need some help?" Artie's head swiveled and faced Quinn. His face began turning red in embarrassment.

"Please."

Laughing lightly, she went to stand behind his chair and after a few more pushes and both their strengths, they got him successfully out of the ditch. Artie sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I thought I was going to be stuck in that stupid hole forever."

Quinn laughed again. "No problem. How did you get stuck in there anyway?" she asked curiously.

"I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing…daydreaming, I guess. And my chair started curving towards the hole. I noticed at the last second, but it was too late to stop it then."

"Well, at least you didn't tip over and fall." A glint of amusement suddenly shone in her eyes. "Like that time in sixth grade you fell in that muddy puddle during recess."

Artie's face turned red again. "You remember that?" he asked, surprised.

"How could I not?" Quinn was outright laughing now. "You were all but swallowing that mud and you were still acting as if nothing happened, even when everyone at the playground was staring at you!"

He quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, what are you still doing here? I thought everyone had already left?"

She shook her head at his weak attempt, but played along. "Yeah, they did. My _stupid_ car broke down out of no where and I have no idea what to do, I don't know anything about cars whatsoever."

Artie gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, can't really help you there. I'm pretty much in the same boat as you when it comes to cars. But hey, you should get Kurt to look at it; he could probably tell you what's wrong."

As odd as that advice may have sounded, Quinn knew that Artie had a point there. Kurt's father was the best mechanic in Lima, Ohio, so Kurt would probably know whatever was messed up with her convertible. "Thanks, that's a good idea." She shivered in her coat once and quickly began thinking once more of who was best to call, although a part of her was also thinking how different it was to be hanging out here with Artie. She couldn't remember the last time she had done this. It felt comfortable and light, no crazy drama or awkwardness included.

Artie was also a bit stunned because this must have been the first time in years that he'd had an actual conversation with Quinn Fabray. They had actually been good friends when they were younger but drifted apart when they had reached middle school. Even now together in glee, they don't as much as exchange two words to one another, other than the occasional "hey" or "how's it going", but even that last one was a rarity.

Just as he was about to tell her goodbye and head home, he noticed he shiver again and asked hesitantly, "So is anyone coming to pick you up, or something?"

"Don't really know who to call," she admitted. "Brittany has dance rehearsal, Puck has his, um, fight club, though I really don't know what that's about – "

Artie gasped mockingly. "First rule of fight club – _never_ talk about it."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay. Finn and Santana aren't really speaking to me right now…I thought maybe I'd just wait around here until Puck's done and call him then."

Artie raised an index finger. "Idea."

She laughed. "Shoot."

"I live pretty close by the school, hence why I'm wheeling home. Why don't you wait for Puck there instead? It's really cold out here and I'm sure that's bad for you and the baby. Plus you could join us for dinner." He shrugged. "Pretty sure it won't be a problem."

Quinn had been to Artie's house quite a few times when they had been younger and she _was_ freezing out here. She was filled with sudden gratitude for the boy in front of her. "Thanks so much, Artie. That would be great."

Artie grinned. "Cool. Come on."

"Just a second, I'm gonna text Puck quickly." She took out her cell and hurriedly typed out:

_car broke down, can u give me a ride when ur done? going to b at Artie's, 2 cold 2 wait outside_

She shut her phone and put it away in her bag and said to Artie, "Okay, lead the way. Or actually, maybe I'll just push your chair. Don't want you falling in another ditch."

He rolled his eyes. "That's not necessary, Quinn."

Quinn's eyes widened innocently. "What? I'm just helping you out. Plus, I'm freezing my ass out here and if you _did_ end up in another hole, I'm probably just gonna abandon you this time."

Artie laughed. "Let's just go."

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So, what did you guys think? Please take the time to review, it would mean a lot to me; I could use the feedback. Suggestions are open! (:


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** So this was meant to be a one-shot, but the majority of my reviews suggested that I continue, so I shall. :) This _is_ my first multi-fic ever, so the feedback and suggestions would be amazing. Even letting me know I'm on the right back with this is good enough. :)

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything from Glee. Sigh. I'm just _not _that brilliant.

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As they continued on their way to Artie's house, they chatted idly about glee, school and reminisced some more memories from the past. As they reached his house about five minutes later, Quinn noted vaguely that his house from the outside looked the same with some changes her and there, though she nearly forgot about the ramp that had been installed at the side of their porch after Artie's accident. It was probably because Quinn hadn't been over to Artie's place as often after the accident.

As they entered the house, Artie called out, "I'm home."

"Oh, thank God," said a voice a distance away but was coming closer. "Honey, you really should have-" Artie's mother came in sight and she stopped in her tracks when she saw who was with Artie. "Quinn? Quinn Fabray, is that you?"

Quinn smiled at the older woman. "Hi, Mrs. Abrams. It's so nice to see you again."

Mrs. Abrams smiled in return at the young girl, moved forward and gave her a gentle hug. She was conscience of her pregnant belly but did not say anything about it. "Likewise, dear. It's been years! You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Mrs. Abrams, so do you."

Mrs. Abrams smiled warmly at her once more before turning back to Artie. "Artie, why are you so late? I was beginning to worry you'd gotten hurt."

"Right. Sorry about that, Mom. I got in a little…uh, situation." He coughed while Quinn had nearly burst laughing. His mother raised a brow, but Artie went on. "Anyway, Quinn's car broke down and I invited her over here so she wouldn't have to wait for her ride out in the cold."

"Well, that was considerate of you, Artie. Honey, you're welcome here anytime," she said to Quinn. She looked back at her son. "Just remember to call next time."

Artie rolled his eyes but smiled at his mother. "Sure, Mom."

"Artie, is that you?" called a voice, the person bounding down the stairs. "About time. Mom nearly had a coronary." A girl of about thirteen years old appeared at the end of the staircase. "Oh. Hey, Quinn."

Quinn grinned at Artie's younger sister. "Hey, Alyssa. How's it going?"

"Oh, you know," she answered, rolling her eyes. "Just surviving it day by day with this crazy family." Quinn laughed while Mrs. Abrams and Artie gave indignant cries of protest. "Oh, be quiet, you both know it's true. So, what forces you to come around this nut-house, anyway?" Quinn laughed again and explained the situation to Alyssa. "That makes sense," she said in response, nodding.

"Well, I'm going to go finish working on dinner," announced Mrs. Abrams. "Will you be joining us, Quinn?"

"I'd love to, if that's all right?"

"Of course, dear; make yourself at home."

Quinn smiled. "Thanks, Mrs. Abrams." The older lady returned the smile and went back on her way to the kitchen.

"Do you wanna go to the living room, Quinn?" asked Alyssa before Artie had a chance to open his mouth. "Probably much better than hanging out in front of the door." She shook her head in mock disappointment. "God, Artie, where are your _manners_?"

Quinn giggled while Artie gave out an exasperated sigh and glared at his little sister. Quinn remembered how amusing Alyssa had always been.

They made their way to the living room and settled down there (Quinn and Alyssa sat on the couch while Artie didn't bother getting out of his chair and just wheeled it so he was position facing them).

"So, Quinn," began Alyssa conversationally. "I hear you've got a bun in the oven."

"Alyssa!" exclaimed Artie, beginning to get seriously annoyed.

"What?" she asked defensively. "I hear stuff!"

Quinn shook her head. "Nah, it's fine, Artie. It _is_ pretty obvious, isn't it?" she said to Alyssa. "The fact that gossip spreads through Lima the way that fire does doesn't help much either." She sighed.

"If it helps, you're not showing_ that_ much," supplied Artie.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm six months pregnant, Artie. I'm practically a _house_. But thanks for your futile attempt, anyway." They laughed and continued chatting until dinner was ready; by then, Mr. Abrams had returned home from work. He was pleasantly surprised to see Quinn as much as Mrs. Abrams was. Quinn was glad to see him again, too; she remembered Mr. Abrams had always been a quiet, but very nice man.

Just before heading to the dining room, Quinn felt her phone vibrate, alerting her that she had a new text:

_nearly done, b there in about 30min_

Artie noticed Quinn closing her phone and asked, "Puck text back?"

"Yep, said he should be here in around a half hour."

Artie nodded and they went to join the rest of his family for dinner. Quinn had fun with them, laughing at Artie and Alyssa's constant bickering and their parents' weak attempts to get them to behave and finally resigning in the end. It's wasn't so much different from this at Puck's house, too. _This is how families should be_, mused Quinn in her head. _Not distant and fake, the way mine was._

About thirty-five minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Quinn stood up. "That's probably Puck, I should go."

Mrs. Abrams stood up and moved around the table to give Quinn a hug. "It was nice having you over, dear."

"Thank you so much for having me, Mr. and Mrs. Abrams. It was great seeing all of you again."

Mr. Abrams smiled at the young girl. "Come over anytime you want, Quinn."

Quinn grinned. "Thanks, Mr. Abrams." She turned at Alyssa. "See you around, girlie."

Alyssa laughed. "Bye, blondie."

Artie moved from his seat at the table to his wheelchair in one smooth transition. "I'll walk you to the door. And _yes_, I know that's ironic, but I really don't care." They all chuckled at that and both he and Quinn went to open the door for Puck.

"What up, Abrams?" said Puck, nodding at Artie when he saw him behind Quinn.

"Hey, Puck," he replied, nodding back. Quinn didn't understand; why did guys nod as ways of acknowledging other people? What was wrong with smiling, or even waving? She shook her head in annoyance.

Puck turned to her. "So, you ready?"

"Yeah." She faced Artie. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow. Thanks again for everything."

"No problem. See you." Quinn smiled at him and began walking back to the truck with Puck, hearing the door closed lightly behind them. As they got in, Puck asked, "So what happened to your car, anyway?"

"Not sure exactly," she admitted. "I tried the ignition a couple of times, but it just wouldn't start." She shrugged. "Probably something to do with the engine. I'm gonna ask Kurt to look at it tomorrow."

The fact that _Kurt_ of all people knew more about cars than anyone he knew, including himself, still baffled the hell out of Puck, but having the best mechanic in Lima as your father might help those odds. "Cool."

A thought struck Quinn as they were driving down the street from Artie's house. "Hey, how did you know where Artie's house was, anyway? You never asked me for his address."

Puck froze and then hastily said, "Lima's small as fuck, it's not hard to find out where everyone lives." That wasn't true; he knew because he and a couple of football players used to egg Artie's house before he joined glee. He didn't dare tell this to her though.

Puck learned the hard way _not_ to test out Quinn's anger with her hormones this crazy high.

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Please remember to review! Each one always means a lot to me. :) Suggestions are always welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Hey, everyone. Another update! Yay? So I've made up my mind if this is going to turn into a romance between Quinn and Artie or not. Hopefully, you guys think too badly of me after this, haha.

**Disclaimer:** Do not own Glee. At all. Not even a tiny, meticulously small bit of it. Nada. Doesn't my life suck?**  
**

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Quinn caught up with Kurt before first period the next morning at school; it was AP English, a class they both shared together. On their way to the classroom, Quinn explained to Kurt about her car dilemma and he promised to look over it during lunch.

The morning seemed to drag on relentlessly for Quinn and she often caught her thoughts wandering away from what the teacher and students were discussing in class. She would then force herself to focus again and sometimes it was successful. She was taking a lot of advanced classes this year and she didn't want to catch herself failing in each one of them.

As Quinn was taking out her books from her locker for her next class, she noticed a biology text book not a far distance from herself. Curious, she went to pick it up and looked at the name under the cover of the book. _Finn Hudson_. She smiled to herself; Finn was forever dropping a book or another and would never even notice it. Quinn was running late for her next class, and because she knew he wouldn't need it for the rest of the day, she quickly placed the textbook in her locker and planned to hand it back to him after school.

After the bell rang at the end of her last class before lunch, Quinn walked back to her locker and found Kurt waiting for her there. After depositing her books, he offered her his arm and asked, "Shall we?"

Quinn grinned at the fashionable boy. "Let's," she replied, linking arms with him.

Just as expected, Kurt knew what the problem was exactly. "You have a cracked cylinder, which pretty much allows the water jacket to leak into it. You need to have it sealed properly which will probably take a few days."

As he went into more detail explaining what the problem, she started to feel as though she were listening to garbled English. What she knew for sure was that it had something to do with the engine (she knew it!) and it had to be worked on at the garage. When Kurt told her the price of how much it would cost to get repaired, Quinn's mouth dropped and she could feel even more stress being added on her shoulders. Where was she going to get all that money?

Kurt assessed her expression for a moment and then said, "You know what? Forget about it. It'll be on the house."

"No, no, I couldn't let you do that," said Quinn hurriedly.

He waved her off with a dainty hand. "It's fine, darling. You've got enough on your plate, what with babygates and that strained plus awkward tension between yourself and Finn, not to mention how much this baby is going to alter your future. Oh, and –"

Quinn glared at Kurt. "Thanks, Kurt, for bringing that all out into the open."

He gave her a sheepish smile. "My bad. Just trying to help a fellow glee-clubber out."

She sighed. "Well, you are. Thank you, Kurt, I'm really so grateful for this. You're right. This _does_ take a load off of me."

"No problem." Kurt looked her up and down. "And I'm also thinking I can help you out with getting a new wardrobe, stat."

Quinn looked down at her outfit today. A flowing, yellow cotton dress matched with a white cardigan; it was one of the only things that could pretty much fit her now. "You think?"

"Totally. 'Cedes and I could take you out next weekend. I know this absolutely fab store that sell the _cutest _maternity dresses…" Quinn smiled and the two of them spent the rest of their lunch hour together talking fashion.

* * *

Quinn groaned as she entered her last class of the day – Advanced Calculus. It wasn't that she was bad in math or anything, but this _was_ falling behind in the most and it didn't help that Mr. Simmons, her teacher, didn't explain the mathematical concepts so well. He was like when Kurt talking car language, for crying out loud! _Garbled English._

She took her seat next to Artie, who she happened to share this class with. "Hi, Artie."

"Hey. So, did you end up catching Kurt today?"

"Yep." She explained what happened until the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. Nearing the end of the lesson, Mr. Simmons announced that there was going to be a unit test on the following Tuesday.

"Shit," muttered Quinn under her breath. "You're _kidding_ me." Artie heard this and looked over.

"Everything okay?"

"_No_. I haven't been following this unit at all. I'm going to be so screwed for this test."

"I thought it was pretty easy…" He trailed off as Quinn glared at him. "Okay, probably not the right thing to have said."

"Yeah, not really," agreed Quinn.

After a few minutes, Artie piped up. "Oh. Idea." Quinn rolled her eyes.

"You know you don't have to say that every time you have an idea, Artie."

"Force of habit," he said defensively. "Anyway, do you want to hear it, or not?"

She raised her hands in surrender. "Go ahead."

"Busy this weekend?" She shook her head no. "Well, you can come over on Sunday and we can study together. This unit was pretty good with me, so I can help you out with anything you didn't understand that well."

"That might be everything," warned Quinn. Artie chuckled quietly so that Mr. Simmons catch them talking. "Okay, deal."

* * *

Quinn was waiting for Finn at his locker after school, holding on to his Biology textbook. After a few minutes, she caught him walking down the hallway and she could see the confusion on his face at seeing her waiting for him. Quinn could understand why: they had never really talked after the day Finn found out the truth about the baby. It made sense. Even Quinn wouldn't want to talk to herself. But the truth was that she missed him more than she thought she would have and she wanted him to forgive her more than anything.

"Hey," said Finn hesitantly when he reached his locker.

"Hi," replied Quinn softly. They stood there, staring at one another for a few seconds before Quinn remembered why she was there in the beginning. She held out his book. "Here. I noticed this on the ground earlier today and I thought you might want it back, so…"

"Oh. Right." He took the book from her and gave her a tentative smile. "Thanks."

She returned the smile. "Of course." She could feel herself wanting to say more, but she couldn't make herself do it. "Well, I guess I'll see you around." With one last smile, she walked away.

* * *

Artie was wheeling to his locker after school when he saw Tina walking towards him. She smiled at him as he came closer. "Hey, Artie."

Artie smiled back and went to open his locker. "Hey , Tina. What's up?"

"Nothing. You busy this weekend?"

"Yeah, I have this family thing happening tomorrow and Quinn and I are going to be studying for our Calculus test on Sunday."

Tina looked slightly surprised. "Oh…I didn't know you and Quinn were friends."

Artie shrugged as he put his books into his bag. "She needs some help with some of it, and I offered to lend it to her."

"That's cool," said Tina. "Do you want to maybe hang out tonight?" He shut his locker and hung his bag on the handlebar of his wheelchair.

"Actually, I was planning on crashing early tonight. This week was exhausting…maybe next time?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, sure." He smiled at her once more and Tina watched him wheel away.

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So, there's a part of me, a greedy part, that wants you all to review, review, review! And ultimately, I would LOVE that. But the other part of me is just so _grateful_ that people are reading this at all -- this is my first time at doing anything like this and I feel like such an amateur. Does the plot seem predictable to you guys? Maybe it's just me, since I _do_ know what's going to happen, but I'm not sure. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Another update! Woooooooot! A little something to kick off everyone's weekend. :) So grateful that so many people reviewed for that last chapter. Thank you all so much, you all rock! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I had a good time writing it. :)

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Glee.

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Quinn and Artie both agreed that Quinn would go over to Artie's at one o'clock on Sunday afternoon and study for their calculus test then. Puck dropped her off because her car was still at the garage; he told her to call him whenever she was done. She thanked him for the ride, leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before exiting the car.

It was Alyssa who had answered the door for Quinn and, after exchanging what was new between the two of them, she told Quinn that Artie was up in his room and she could just go ahead. On her way up, Quinn could faintly hear music being played. When she reached the top of the floor, she noticed that the door to Artie's room was ajar and guitar playing were gently flowing from it. She tiptoed to stand in the doorway and found Artie sprawled across his bed, strumming on an acoustic guitar and staring at the wall with an intense look on his face. Quinn leaned against the doorway and instinctively folded her hands over her stomach. She wondered if the fetus could hear the music being played right now.

"Didn't know you played acoustic," mused Quinn aloud. Artie's head shot up.

"Oh, hey. Didn't hear you come in," he said, settling his guitar at the side of his bed and leaning against his headboard.

"Well, it's nice to know I'm not blundering around just yet," she said teasingly. "So, you play acoustic?" she repeated, gesturing towards the guitar.

Artie shrugged. "A little. Not as often and as good as electric, though." Quinn tilted her head and began walking towards the guitar. She gestured again towards it, but this time in a "do you mind if I pick it up?" and was responded with a wave of his hands that basically meant "be my guest; just don't scratch it". She lifted the guitar up gently and adjusted the strap so that it fit around her belly comfortably. She took a breath, strung a chord and posed.

"Olé!" Artie had burst out laughing then.

"Really?" he teased. "I thought you were _actually_ going to play something."

"Hey! No knocking on my _amazing_ talent. And as a matter of fact, I _do_ know how to play…somewhat. Puck's been helping me."

"Oh yeah?" A curious, as well as eager, glint came into Artie's eyes. "Let's hear it."

"Funny," responded Quinn in a flat tone. "Not gonna happen."

"Come on!" he argued. "It's not like I'm going to go all Simon on you, or something."

Quinn assessed his expression, took in the honest curiosity in his eyes, and then sighed. "Fine." She sat at the end of his bed, took another deep breath and began playing and singing.

_Today was a fairytale_

_You were the prince_

_I used to be a damsel in distress_

_You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale_

_I wore a dress_

_You wore a dark grey t-shirt_

_You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Time slows down whenever you're around_

_But can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must have been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must have been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_It must have been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale_

_You've got a smile that takes me to another planet_

_Every move you make everything you say is right_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Today was a fairytale_

_All that I can say is it's getting so much clearer_

_Nothing made sense until the time I saw your face_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Time slows down whenever you're around_

_Yeah yeah_

_But can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must have been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must have been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_It must have been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_Time slows down whenever you're around_

_I can feel my heart_

_It's beating in my chest_

_Did you feel it?_

_I can't put this down_

_But can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must have been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must have been the way_

_But can you feel this magic in the air?_

_It must have been the way you kissed me_

_Fell in love when I saw you standing there_

_It must have been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

_It must have been the way_

_Today was a fairytale_

Quinn bit her bottom lip and looked over at Artie. "So, what did you think?"

"That was good, Quinn," he said seriously. "Really good."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely. I don't think Mr. Shuester gives you enough solos."

She tolled her eyes. "So do I." Artie laughed. "Come on, we should probably begin studying."

It didn't take long, maybe less than an hour, for Quinn to get the hang of everything. She found Artie to be a much better teacher than Mr. Simmons and she felt a hundred percent ready for their upcoming test.

"You know," mused Artie. "That didn't take you as long as I thought it would."

"Why? It's not like I'm _slow_ or anything."

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that," he explained hastily. "I just mean – well, usually, when I help Tina study for chem., it would take hours. Mostly because she kept getting easily distracted. Though I guess I'm the same when it comes to World Governments." Artie grimaced.

"So," began Quinn hesitantly. "What's going on with you and Tina, anyway?" She quickly added, "I just mean that I don't really see you guys hanging out much lately. You guys used to be like this." She crossed her index and middle fingers around each other.

Artie looked at her. "Really, Quinn?"

Quinn held up her hands defensively. "Blame it on Puck."

He looked down at his lap and processed what Quinn had just asked him. Artie didn't exactly realize he had been avoiding Tina lately, but he could guess why. He never wanted to hurt her feelings but he guessed if Quinn (who has many dilemmas of her own to deal with) had noticed what he had been doing…than Tina definitely did as well. He realized then that Quinn was still waiting for an answer to her question.

"I was…hurt… and upset and angry when she told me the truth about her stuttering. I felt…I don't know, betrayed. I thought we were supposed to be best friends, tell each other everything and be honest with one another. Not to mention, I really liked her. I _still_ like her." Artie sighed. "I just think it's better for us to be just friends and nothing more."

Quinn nodded slowly. "I understand. And I get why you would want to protect yourself." She sighed sadly. "God knows how many people I've hurt with my lies, especially Finn. Oh God, Finn." She looked down at her hands. "He didn't deserve it, none of it. He's such a sweet and caring guy and he'll probably never forgive me for what I've done to him…not that I blame him."

Quinn wiped away at her tears impatiently. _Damn these crazy hormones_.

"Quinn." No answer. "Hey, come on. Look at me." She sighed and reluctantly looked into his sincere, blue eyes. "You need to know that none of this was your fault. You were scared; anyone in your position would be, too. And don't worry about Finn, he's going to come around eventually. You're too great a person to lose." He smiled at her.

Quinn read his expression and without thinking about it, she leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. It felt nice and warm and _right – _yet something felt oddly off. She abruptly ended the kiss and stood up and gathered her books and quickly put them in her bag.

"I'm – I'm so sorry, Artie. I shouldn't have – I've gotta go."

"Quinn –" But before Artie could say anything more, she was gone.

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Oooooh, Wonder what's going to happen now? Please remember to review. :) Have a good weekend!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Glee was back on tonight!!!!!! Who saw it and thought it was AWESOME?! It's about time it's back on! Haha. Those of you who haven't seen it yet, I can guarantee you that it's amazing. :) Enjoy this chapter!

* * *

When Puck came to pick Quinn up from Artie's house, he noticed that she seemed distracted and slightly distraught. He asked what was wrong, but she just gave him a small, stiff smile and told him that it was nothing, everything was perfectly fine.

_Bullshit,_ he thought to himself. Puck loved Quinn, but he learned that it wasn't more than as just friends and both he and Quinn found it easier to just remain that way. Nevertheless, this did not stop him from feeling protective of her and he knew something had to have gone down at Artie's for her to be like this.

Puck stared grimly out the windshield. If Quinn wasn't going to tell him what was going on, then there was nothing stopping him from asking Artie himself.

* * *

Tina was laying across her bed on Sunday night, reading from her chemistry textbook with her hand propping her chin up. Just as she was about to give up trying to understand how periodic trends worked and just fling the book against her wall, her cell gave a shrill _riiiiiiing_. Sitting up against her headboard, she reached over her bedside table to pick it up. She took one glance at the caller ID and snapped the phone open. "Hey, Mercedes."

"What up, girl?"

"Reading some chem stuff. Well, I _was_. This stuff seriously makes _no_ sense."

"Doesn't Wheels usually help you with that kind of stuff?" inquired Mercedes.

Tina shrugged but then remembered that Mercedes couldn't see her. "Yeah, but he said he was busy tonight. Studying for his calculus test with Quinn."

"Whoa, _hold up_. Since when do he and Quinn hang out together?"

"Yeah, guess it kinda surprised me too, but then I remembered him telling me a while ago that they used to be friends when they were younger or something."

Mercedes noticed Tina's change of tone at this. "Tina, what's-? Wait, hold on a sec, Kurt's buzzing in. Mind if we go party line?"

Tina thought Kurt to be just as much a trusting friend of hers as Mercedes, so she just said, "Let's do it."

"Girls, serious dilemma here," said Kurt distractedly. They could here some shuffling and movement coming from the end of his line. "I've got two hats that go equally as perfect for my outfit tomorrow and I have _no idea _which to choose!" Tina could picture him standing in front of his full length mirror, repeatedly switching the two hats.

"Bring them both to school tomorrow, we'll check it out," said Mercedes quickly. "Our girl Tina has some problems that need our help."

The shuffling sounds stopped. "What's going on?"

"_Nothing_," said Tina. "I don't have any problems, Mercedes, why-?"

Of course, both Kurt and Mercedes ignored her. "Is it about Artie?" asked Kurt knowingly.

"Yes," answered Mercedes while Tina cried, "No!"

"Artie's been hanging out with Quinn lately," said Mercedes in a way of explanation. "And I'm assuming she's starting to feel neglected."

"Don't assume," muttered Tina darkly. "It just makes an ass of you and me."

"Well then, would you mind telling us what's _actually _going on, then?" badgered Kurt.

"Nothing! It's just…" She sighed and thought _what the hell, why don't I just tell them, I've got nothing to lose_. "I think that Artie's been avoiding me."

"Why would he be doing that?" asked Mercedes, confused.

"I don't think he's completely over the whole stuttering thing," said Tina quietly. "Guys, you didn't see him that day. I really hurt him and I didn't really believe him for a second when he told me things were cool between us. This whole avoiding me thing just proves my point."

"Just give him some time, Tina. He'll come around," said Kurt kindly.

"It's been months, Kurt," said Tina. Her eyes sought out a single picture of many of her family and friends tacked on to the walls of her bedroom. It was of her and Artie, laughing at the camera; it was before the whole stuttering fiasco. "I don't think he's ever going to fully forgive me for this."

* * *

Artie took a shower, changed into his sweatpants and tee-shirt, attempting to fall asleep but it was hopeless. His mind kept wandering about the kiss and what he was feeling. Confused was one emotion, for sure. Why had Quinn kissed him? Artie had thought for a moment that she may have still had lingering feeling for the quarterback, but he wasn't so sure anymore of how anyone was feeling. One thing was for sure though – the kiss had made him feel something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he could say that it felt good and nice. He may be biased though; the only other girl he'd ever kissed was Tina and he was probably hoping for any other kiss to mask how great that one had been just so the pain in his heart would lessen ever the tiniest fraction. But the truth? That wasn't helping at all.

He sighed, sat up and swung himself onto his wheelchair. All this late night thinking was beginning to make him thirsty. Artie wheeled to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, all the while avoiding on making noise as much as possible.

"You too?" Artie looked around to find his sister enter the kitchen and pour herself a glass of milk.

"Trouble falling asleep," he said in response.

"Hmm," murmured Alyssa, taking a seat at the table across from her brother. "Why did Quinn practically run out the house today?"

Artie reacted surprised at the abrupt change of subjects. "What-what are you talking about? She never ran anywhere. She was just going home, that's all."

Alyssa set her glass down on the table and gave Artie a look. "What's going on, Artie?"

"Nothing. Mind your own business, Alyssa."

She sighed. "Artie, despite my constant teasing and missions to make your life miserable, you _are_ my brother and I do happen to care about what happens with you, believe it or not."

"Not." Alyssa just continued to look at him and after a moment, he sighed and told her, "Quinn kissed me."

"_What?_" Artie widened his eyes at her to keep it down and more quietly, she asked, "How did that happen?"

He shrugged. "We were talking about how much our lives sucked, and she just…kissed me."

They remained quiet for awhile before Alyssa asked, "Well, do you like her?"

"What do you mean? Of course I _like _her."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Seriously. I mean, do you _like_ liker her? As in…do you have feeling s for her?"

Artie processed this question for a quiet minute. He felt as though he wasn't sure of anything anymore. "I…never really thought of Quinn as anything more than as just friends, but now I don't know anymore. Hell, this is all to confusing. And then Tina – "

Alyssa interrupted him. "Wait, you still like Tina?"

"What?" said Artie quickly, blushing. "I never said that! Don't go putting words in my mouth, Alyssa."

"Whoa." She held her hands out in front of her. "Chill, Artie. I'm not putting anything into your mouth, I've got better things to do, FYI. No need to get all defensive." She lowered her hands. "But you _did _mention Tina on your own, so I just assumed you might still like her."

"Don't assume, it makes an ass of you and me." Alyssa raised a brow. "Tina," he explained with a sheepish smile.

She rolled her eyes again. "So, do you? Like her, I mean."

Artie sighed. "Like I said, this is all confusing." They fell into silence again with Artie breaking it this time. "What do you think I should do, Alyssa?" he asked his sister softly, a desperate need of some sort of guidance in his eyes.

"Well," she began, "and this is going to sound incredibly corny, but it's the truth: follow your heart, Artie." She smiled at him softly. "That may be as hard as hell, but you _will_ end up being happy in the end, which is all I want for my big bro." She leaned over to ruffle his hair and he swiped her hand away, laughing quietly.

"Thanks, Alyssa," said Artie, smiling at her. "How _did_ you get so wise all of a sudden?"

Alyssa smirked. "What can I say? Some people have just got it naturally; it's just unfortunate that you don't though." Artie rolled his eyes and placed his empty glass in the sink. "Good night, Artie."

"Good night, Alyssa."

* * *

Sorry for any mistakes, this was done in a rush. Please remember to review! :)


	6. Chapter 6

"Abrams."

It was after glee rehearsal and everyone was clearing out of the choir room. Artie stopped short when he heard Puck calling his name. Quinn looked over her shoulder curiously, but continued walking away. She's been doing that a lot this week; Artie never got a chance to speak to her about what had happened and where they stood with each other now. Each time Quinn saw him wheeling towards her, she would hastily make an excuse to the person she was talking (that is, if she was at that time), and quickly escape. When he tried to speak to her in class, she would put a finger over her lips and look pointedly at the teacher. Artie finally gave up trying to get her attention in class after a while but would keep trying in between them and sometimes during lunch; it was no use, it was like she could disapparate on the spot. It was frustrating.

Once everyone had cleared out of the room, Puck turned to look at Artie again. "Dude, what's going on?"

Artie knew what Puck was talking about and his eyes widened slightly. "Quinn never told you?"

"Told me _what_?"

"She, uh, she kissed me." He then shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the punch in the face he knew was bound to occur. But after thirty seconds of being pain-free, Artie opened one eye infinitesimally to see Puck smirking at him. This confused him. "Wait, aren't you mad, or something?"

Puck raised a brow. "Why the fuck would I be mad?"

"I thought you guys were sort of semi-dating." Artie turned red in embarrassment.

Puck gave him a look. "Seriously, dude? There's no such thing as _semi-dating_. You either are or you're not." Puck shook his head and took a seat in one of the chairs. "Damn, and I thought you were smarter than me." Artie scowled and decided to ignore that last comment.

"Well if that's not the case, then why is she constantly running away from me?" he countered.

Puck shrugged. "Who the fuck knows? Maybe it's 'cause she's pregnant and shit; that's her excuse for everything these days." Artie sighed in frustration. "What I _do_ know is that she's torn up over this bullshit and the sooner you tell her whatever the fuck you need to tell her, do it quick, because her moping around is annoying the hell out of me."

After getting to know Puck a bit better under normal circumstances (thanks to glee club), he knew what Puck really meant was it was actually hurting him more than annoying him that Quinn was feeling depressed. Artie nodded his head in agreement. Puck stood up and clapped Artie on the back.

"Cool. See you around Abrams." With that, he left Artie by himself in the choir room.

* * *

Artie made it his mission to corner Quinn the next day.

Since he saw her earlier day for just a brief second, he knew she was most likely skipping Calculus when he entered the classroom and her desk was empty. Artie gave her twenty minutes to see if she just might have happened to be late to class. When it was a definite no-show, he asked Mr. Simmons for permission to use the bathroom; he was going to try and look for Quinn himself.

The first thing Artie did was go to the school parking lot to see if Puck's truck was there or not; he half expected it to be gone, which was why he was a tiny bit surprised to see it there. This meant that Quinn was still hanging somewhere around school because she still didn't have her car back in her possession yet.

Just as he was about to turn around and maybe see if he could find her in the choir room, a flash of blonde crossed his peripheral vision. He began wheeling slowly towards the blob of colour and, after a few seconds, he realized that it was, in fact, Quinn.

She was sitting on a large expanse of green grass under the shade of a tall tree at the side of the school. Her head was bent and it looked as though she was writing in some sort of journal. The wheels of Artie's chair ran over some crunched gravel and Quinn looked up at the sound. Her pen froze above her book and Artie cocked a brow as it to mean _Do you really think you have a chance at escaping now?_ She sighed as though she could hear what he was thinking, closed her journal and laid it next to her.

"What's going on, Artie?" Quinn asked him bluntly.

Artie looked at her incredulously. "_You _tell _me_. I've been trying to talk to you all week, but it's like you have some sort of super sonic radar that tells you I'm headed in your direction or something!"

She rolled her eyes. "No need to be so dramatic."

"_I'm _being dramatic? No, Quinn, _I'm _just trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Why do you keep avoiding me like I'm some kind of plague? I thought we were actually becoming friends." Artie added that last part a bit bitterly.

Quinn looked down at her lap and remained quiet for a few minutes. Just as Artie was about to say something else, she began speaking in a low voice. "You're right. I _was_ avoiding you," she admitted. "But it's only because I'm afraid that what I tell you will make you hate me, or worse, judge me."

Artie looked at her quizzically and also feel himself growing a bit nervous over the trepidation in her voice. "What are you talking about?"

Quinn finally looked up at him, unshed tears threatening to break free from her eyes. "I – I still have feelings for Finn."

* * *

**AN: **Hey, everyone! Sorry that this chapter was a bit short, but the next one will be longer, I can tell you that. :) And what a coincidence, I happen to update again on the same night Glee was on. :) I think I can safely say that this episode could be in my top 3 favourite ones; it was amazing! What did you all think? Hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and please remember to review! Lots of love. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Quinn forced herself to keep looking into Artie's eyes, bracing herself to see the anger and hurt in them, but mostly anger. However, it was neither and instead confusion. The question that came through his lips the next second was one she knew was to come eventually.

"Why did you kiss me?"

She bowed her head and looked down at her lap again as she answered his question, constantly fidgeting with her fingers. "I'm so sorry, Artie, I know it was wrong of me to have kissed you and run off like that, but…" She scoffed. "God, I'm such a selfish person."

Quinn looked up at him again as she continued. "The reason I kissed you was because…because you understood me. You empathized with what I'm going through and I though by liking you, I would finally be able to get over Finn. Stupid me decided to test that out by kissing you to see if I would feel anything. I didn't. I like you, Artie, but just not in the same way as I do Finn." She stopped talking then.

Artie let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in that entire time. He also realized that Quinn was right – he _was_ angry, but most likely not in the same way she though he was. It was more of an irritated feeling. But what surprised him even more was that he _didn't_ feel hurt, or used, when Quinn told him she still cares for Finn.

He then thought of what would happen if Tina said she cared for someone else, or had decided to move on and felt a sharp pang to his heart. It was clear to him now that he still harbored feelings for his best friend; he'd just been kidding himself this entire time to spare himself more heartache. Obviously that wasn't working out as well as he had thought it would.

"It's okay, Quinn." She looked up at him, slightly surprised. "And by okay, I mean that I forgive you. I guess I get why you did what you did, I just wish you would have done it without all this resulting craziness."

She laughed quietly. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Just one more thing." Artie's voice was laced with curiosity. "Why do you think that I would judge you?"

She gave him a sad, half-smile. "I thought it would have been obvious. I don't deserve Finn, after everything I've done to him. Loving him now won't do me any good and just cause me to be more miserable. Plus, everyone is going to think of me as the bitchy, pregnant girl who won't leave him alone."

He shook his head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Bring yourself down like that. You're not a bitchy, pregnant girl. You're Quinn Fabray, a beautiful, kind person whose confidence can make most people falter backwards. You deserve anyone you want, and if that's Finn, go after him. Who gives a crap what anyone else says or thinks? If he makes you happy, then that's all that matters."

Quinn wiped away at the tears that had finally shed from her eyes and her voice was slightly thick when she spoke to him. "You're amazing, Artie, you know that? You always know the right thing to say." She smiled at him. "Thank you for being my friend. God knows I probably drive everyone insane with these stupid mood swings."

Artie laughed. "Not as bad as you'd think, you know. And besides, I'm sure Puck has it worse, he's stuck being with you almost all the time. The horror!"

She ripped some of the grass from the ground, flung it at him and laughed when he shook his head like a wet dog, attempting to get it all out of his hair.

"You know," she began thoughtfully, rubbing her left hand against her stomach. "That was some pretty good advice you just gave me there. Plan on following it yourself?"

Artie gave her an oblivious look. "What are you talking about?"

Quinn rolled her eyes at him. "I've seen the way you look at Tina. You miss her." She said this like it was a statement and not a speculation she had happened to observe.

It was his turn to start fidgeting with his Velcro-covered hands. "Yeah well, it doesn't really matter if I miss her or not, I screwed things up with her pretty royally."

"And I've never done the same?" she asked him sarcastically. "Look, you still have a chance to make things right with her. She misses you, too."

"Really?" he asked, his voice highly eager. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat and repeated more nonchalantly, "I mean, really? How do you know?"

She threw some more grass at him. "_Yes._ And a girl just _knows._ For someone who's awfully great at giving advice, you're in great need of it yourself." Not so good at comebacks, Artie merely stuck out his tongue at her and Quinn laughed at his immaturity.

She was beginning to feel better now, thanks to Artie. She resolved to try to make things right with Finn as soon as possible.

* * *

"Tina, wait up!"

It was after school now and Artie had been waiting by the school's main doors for Tina to come out. She eventually did but kept on marching straight towards where her car was parked in the student parking lot without acknowledging that Artie was there.

"Tina, come on, just a second." She sighed and pivoted around to face him.

"Is this important? I have tons of work waiting for me." She said this in a slightly cold tone and Artie winced.

"I just need to talk to you," he clarified.

"Well what is it?" She secured her bag over her shoulder more tightly and crossed her arms over her chest.

Artie looked around the parking lot, filled with students milling around. "This probably isn't a great place to talk. How about we meet up at the park after school tomorrow?" The park was where Tina and Artie would usually hang out after school and procrastinate on doing their endless amounts of school work.

She hesitated for a moment, but in the end gave in. "All right, fine. See you tomorrow."

Artie gave her a smile before wheeling away, determined to make her understand and hopefully win back her heart.

* * *

"Mr. Hummel, you are amazing. Thank you so much!" Quinn was at Hummel Mechanics after getting a call to come and pick up her now properly working (once again) vehicle.

"Nah, it wasn't a problem. Just a small fix was all she needed," replied Burt, throwing an oily hand-towel over his shoulder.

"I feel so bad about not paying you for this, I really – "

"Quinn, I already _told_ you," interrupted Kurt, who had been standing next to his father, "on the house. Capiche?"

Quinn grinned at the fashionable boy and swiftly gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks again. I'll see you at school."

It was a sunny day, so Quinn decided to let the cover of her car down as she drove back to Puck's house. Feeling spontaneously giddy and happy, she popped in one of her ABBA CD's into her CD player and sang along to the song that came on.

_Mamma mia, her I go again/My, my, how can I resist you?/Mamma mia, does it show again?/My, my, just how much I've missed you/Yes, I've been broken-hearted/Blue since the day we parted/Why, why, did I ever let you go?/Mamma mia, now I really know/My, my, I could never let you go!_

Quinn could feel the baby kicking in time with the music, but it didn't pain her at all. She laughed out loud joyously and carefree, feeling happier she had for a long time.

* * *

**AN: **I'm scared right now...I'm so, so, _so_ sorry for not having updated sooner! My ideas have been getting more jumbled lately, thanks to the return of Glee. But I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter, and we're getting near the end! Maybe one or two more chapters left. The song used in this chapter is called Mamma Mia by ABBA. Please remember to review! You guys are amazing. :)


	8. Chapter 8

As Quinn walked down the hallway towards the choir room for glee club rehearsal that day, she could hear someone playing rhythmic beat patterns against the drums. Her heart began thumping, hoping for it to be who she thought it was.

Sure enough, she entered the room to find it to be Finn behind the drum set. He was too focused on what he was playing to notice Quinn entering. She looked around, surprised that no one else was here yet; she half-expected for Rachel to pop up from behind the piano or something.

Quinn settled into a chair, totally content to just be in the same room alone with Finn without any awkward tension. Granted, he didn't still realize she was there yet.

With a flourishing finale, Finn leaned back with an expression Quinn recognized, but hadn't seen in the longest time. She knew that playing the drums was an outlet of escape for Finn when he was stressed or just tired of life in general. He wasn't one of those to go deep into a depression, but there were times when he felt like he was in a complete slump. It was times like these when he was happiest. Call her mushy or corny or whatever, but it made Quinn happy to see Finn happy. Just now, her heart swelled with affection for the naïve but lovable boy. She stood up and began clapping lightly.

Finn looked towards the direction of the clapping in surprise, and saw that it was Quinn. He blinked a few times, just trying to remember seeing her come into the room at all. He hesitated, but then gave her his signature half-smile. "Thanks," he said a bit sheepishly, looking anywhere but at her.

She shook her head, moving closer to him. "No need to thank me. You're really good, Finn. What I mean is, you've always been more than good. Amazing." She laughed. "Makes me jealous sometimes over the fact that you've got something you're so good at that you can make a future of. Not everyone's that lucky." She said that last part teasingly, but he could hear the slight sadness in her voice.

Finn turned slightly pink but didn't really know what to say, so he just settled with giving her another smile. Quinn returned the smile and took a seat in the chair next to the drums, instinctively putting a hand over her stomach and rubbing it. It looked as though she were trying to soothe the baby. Curiosity was what caused Finn to ask his next question, whether it was awkward or not.

"How's the baby?" he asked, attempting to say it nonchalantly. He spent so long believing that this child of Quinn's was also his and preparing himself to actually be a father. Finding out that this wasn't the case though, he tried to go back to being just a teenager boy with no worries over life long problems. It wasn't so easy; it wasn't as though there was a switch he could turn off when he wanted to and he often caught himself thinking and worrying over the baby's future.

Quinn quickly glanced at Finn, and then looked away. It startled her a bit that he didn't ask that with any contempt in his voice, just honest curiosity. This pleased her though; she thought this could possibly mean there was a chance of redemption for her. "Oh. She's doing well," she said, glancing down at her stomach. "Should be soon now. She's been kicking less and less lately, poor baby hardly has any room to move."

Finn could hear the warmth and affection in Quinn's voice when she was talking about her baby. _Her baby._ It still felt weird to think that, he spent so long thinking that it was their baby, only to find out he'd been lied to, not to mention royally humiliated.

She looked back up in time to see the expression on Finn's face; she hated seeing him so upset and down, all because of what she does and says. She leaned more forward and tried to get him to look at her in the eyes. It wasn't easy.

"Finn, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. What I did was wrong. No, it was worse than that. And you didn't deserve any of it." He looked up at her then, sought her eyes with his and he could see tears brimming in them. He didn't like that; he looked back down at his hands.

"Why?" His voice sounded gravelly and slightly bitter, but mostly hurt. "Quinn, why would you do something like that? Not just sleep with my best friend, but lie like that? What made you think you couldn't tell me the truth?" As Finn said this, he could feel the anger rising in him once more. He took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. Kicking chairs now wouldn't help him any.

"I was scared, Finn. I was scared you would leave me if I told you that I had sex with Puck." The way she said it so bluntly made Finn wince slightly. "It was horrible of me, but I love you and I didn't want to risk having you leave me over the biggest, not to mention the most stupid, mistake of my life."

It took Finn a moment and his eyes widened, looking at her, understanding what she had just said. _I love you_. Love. Not loved.

"You love me?" It was Quinn's turn to have saucer sized eyes. She hadn't realized she'd said that out loud. She gulped and looked away from him, thinking frantically of what to say to him. She stopped herself though; she wouldn't lie to him anymore. She _couldn't_ lie to him anymore.

"Yes. I do. I always have, Finn and I guess I didn't stop even though you had. I guess the reason why I lied then was greatly because I didn't want to ruin my reputation, but ultimately it came down to the fact that I care about you so much. It hurts me seeing you like this, and yeah, I know that sounds corny, but it's true." She smiled at him, feeling just a tiny bit uncomfortable, but mostly relieved at getting it all out.

Finn was definitely feeling awkward right now. He didn't know what to say, what to do. Should he tell her how he feels? Or should he just accept what she said and just finally move on?

Before deciding on what to do, he heard noises of laughter and movement coming closer to the choir room. Looking towards the door, he saw Kurt and Mercedes walk in, discussing something that was apparently humorous. Quinn gave Finn a small smile and moved back to her former seat, leaving Finn alone to the thoughts now circulating nonstop in his head.

* * *

"So I pretty much told him the truth," sighed Quinn, leaning against the locker next to Artie's.

"How did he take it?" asked Artie, slowly extracting the books he needed for his next class.

She shrugged, looking down at her feet. "Don't know. He didn't really say anything, but mostly because Mercedes and Kurt walked in right after I finished speaking." She closed her eyes, lightly banged her head against the locker and let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't _believe_ I told him I loved him."

"Wait, don't you?" said Artie, confused.

"Well, _yes_. But he didn't need to know that, not yet. It felt like I was an open tap, just blurting stuff out. God, I felt like _Rachel_." Quinn cringed.

Artie shook his head, trying not to laugh. "No one's that bad, not even you," he said, grinning.

"That's comforting," she muttered under her breath. "So did you talk to Tina?"

He hesitated, shutting his locker and began moving down the hallway, Quinn following alongside him slowly. "Well yes and no. I told her to meet me at the park today after school. She seemed kind of pissed at me when I spoke to her."

"Give her time," said Quinn reassuringly. "Things will go over well between you two; I can't really see it any other way. You guys are almost always attached at the hips." She looked at him quickly. "Sorry. I meant that figuratively."

He laughed. "I know what you meant, Quinn. And I hope you're right." He sighed. "I was such an ass to her, I wouldn't even be surprised if she told me she never wanted to speak or see me again."

She rolled her eyes. "You can be quite the drama queen sometimes." Artie just settled with sticking his tongue out at her. What? He wasn't ever really good at comebacks, that was already known . "I'll see you later," she said, walking away towards where her next class was located.

At the end of the hall, Tina silently observed this interaction between him and Quinn. She was just about to go and catch him before class, but decided against it and walked away, realizing what she was feeling now felt a lot like rejection and jealousy.

* * *

I hope you guys liked this chapter! One more left now. :) I love how some of my reviewers are so consistent, you guys are all amazing, love you so much.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN**: I'm so incredibly sorry for the SUPER long wait! I suck, I know. I've been so busy lately with final projects and exam revisions. This is the last chapter. Hope you all enjoy and see you at the end of it. :)

* * *

Tina could see Artie waiting by a bench in the park, listening to his iPod and she quickened her pace to reach him. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized, taking a seat on the bench.

Artie jumped slightly, having not known she'd arrived. "No, you're not late. I'm just early, you know, being the nerd I am."

Tina laughed. "You can't get any more truthful than that."

So they spent the next few minutes discussing school, glee club and laughing over Kurt's imitation of a Rachel diva fit today in rehearsal. (He had it down to a science.) Though soon enough they ran out of things to talk about and the tension of their relationship returned so forcefully that Artie couldn't stand it anymore. He sighed.

"Tina, the reason I wanted to talk to you was because I owe you an apology." He tried to look into her eyes while saying this so he could show her how sincere he was, but it was difficult to do so because she bowed her head down, her purple streaked hair shielding her face away from him. "I was rude to you, and although I didn't mean any of that intentionally, that's no excuse."

Tina let out a low breath and said quietly, "You don't think that was your subconscious telling you that you're still mad at me?"

Artie's brow furrowed. "Mad at you?" he said in a surprised tone. "I'm not mad at you, Tina."

She let out a small, bitter laugh and looked at him. "Really? Because ever since I told you about the fake stutter, you've been distancing yourself away from me. I know I screwed up, Artie; but you're my best friend. I don't want to lose you over this."

He shook his head, a sad, lopsided smile on his face. "Tina, I'm not mad at you. Not anymore. How many times do I need to repeat that?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Well, what am I supposed to think?"

"You're supposed to think your best friend isn't a liar." Tina winced and Artie's eyes widened. "Tina, I'm sorry, that came out completely wrong."

"It's fine," replied Tina in a slightly strained voice.

Artie sighed and wheeled his chair to place directly in front of her. "No, Tina, it's not. The only reason I've been acting like such a jerk is because I'm a baby." Tina gave him a confused look which prompted Artie to explain himself more clearly. "What I mean is…I was scared. Scared that maybe there might be something else you don't want to bother telling me and I might just end up being hurt all over again. That stuttering thing sucked, Tina, but nonetheless I came to understand where you were coming from. That doesn't mean I'd be able to handle something like that again."

"Wait, what?" whispered Tina. "Artie, I'd never lie to you about anything ever again. I told you that."

He hesitated, but then took Tina's hands in his and smiled at her. "I know that, Tee. I was being an idiot because I knew better this entire time…and I was really hoping you would give this idiot a second chance." He could feel his heart beating and his palms becoming even warmer underneath his gloves. (Was that possible?)

She laughed a tiny bit and said in a slightly thick voice that sounded as though she were holding herself back from tears, "You're not an idiot."

His brow burrowed in confusion. "So is that a yes…?"

She looked down for a moment and Artie could feel himself becoming more nervous. However, she looked back up with a sudden mischievous look in her eyes. She lightly pulled her hands away from his and placed them on his shoulder instead. She leaned forward until she was mere inches away from his lips. After a second's hesitation, she kissed him.

He could feel exactly what he had been missing from his kiss with Quinn. When Tina kissed him, he could feel fireworks going off in the pit of his stomach; he felt absolutely euphoric. Kissing Tina felt so right and so _natural_ that he didn't want to stop for anything. This kiss felt even more amazing than their first and he had no idea how that was even possible.

But soon enough, the need to breathe to live popped into both of their heads and Tina pulled away, resting her forehead against his. "I'm going to take that as a yes," he said in a slightly breathless voice.

Tina laughed in the same breathless tone and looked into his bright, blue eyes. "Good," she said, intertwining her fingers with his.

* * *

My first multi-chapter story ever is done! I feel so accomplished right now. :) Hope you all enjoyed this story and it would be amazing if you would review. Feedback, comments - whatever is welcome! And I'm in need for some prompts for another story - if any of you have one, I'll gladly consider it.


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